The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol 2 1

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In Greenwich Village, a young woman speaks to her mother on the telephone while on her way home from work, not realizing she's being followed as she cuts down an alley. Hearing a noise behind her, she turns to see a massive, monstrous silhouette looming over her. She tries to flee, but trips over a fallen box and can only scream in terror.

The next day, Peter Parker attends a rooftop barbeque and watches an overweight New Zealand man nicknamed Big John Anderson - who lives on the floor above his - complain about spilling his drink, sardonically noting to himself that it was supposed to be a quiet neighborhood. As Big John joins a dog in lapping up the spilled drink, Peter notes that he's a nice guy despite his bizarre and noisy habits; the dog in question being named Spartacus and belonging to his other neigbours, an elderly man and his daughter. As Peter turns to leave, John asks where he's going and throws his arms around a pair of young women he assumes Peter is dating. Returning to his apartment, Peter reminisces about the good old days of high-school, when his social interactions amounted to playing D&D with the few friends he had. As he makes his way to his room, Peter notes that most of his neighbours have their quirks, catching one of them staring at him before slamming the door and overhearing another loudly complain about a zit.

In Greenwich, Detective Neil Garrett asks an NYPD officer named Jerry what happened as forensic investigators swarm around the woman - who is alive but unconscious. Jerry responds that most of the evidence was washed away by rain, but her possessions are still in her purse so they're at a loss as to what happened to her. When Jerry points out some strange bruises just above her kidneys, Neil states they're puncture marks and that his quarry is back in business.

At St. Mark's Hospital, Peter and Aunt May go to visit Flash Thompson - who had been left comatose by the Green Goblin. May cautions Peter that Flash could be horribly disfigured, but Peter says he owes it to Flash due to their long-time friendship. Standing with Elizabeth Allan (Earth-616)Liz Allan as the doctor goes over the extent of Flash's injuries and removes his bandages, Peter comforts her and is almost amused to notice that Flash's good looks survived intact.

At St. Jude's hospital, Detective Garrett discusses the young woman's injuries with her doctor, Phil, who states that her adrenal glands were punctured and sucked dry - just like the previous two victims. Detective Garrett asks Dr. Phil who or what would be capable of injuring someone in such a manner, and Dr. Phil suggests either an animal or a vampire.

Scoffing at a copy of the Daily Bugle proclaiming that a vampire is loose in the city, Big John and Glory Grant watch Randy Robertson play a game of street ball with another tenant. Taking a break, Randy asks if John knows where Peter went. Big John replies that he's not sure, but indicates a woman hanging her underwear on a clothesline and says he's missing the scenery.

Web-swinging through Midtown, Spider-Man laments that Flash Thompson was put in a coma just because their lives happened to have intersected. Hearing a scream coming from an abandoned subway tunnel entrance, Spider-Man investigates - noting the ominous sense that something terribly wrong is about to occur. Landing on a wall, Spider-Man sees Venom holding a homeless man by the head and looking more amorphous than usual. Spider-Man calls out to Venom, who drops the homeless man and tells Spider-Man that his intrusion is uninvited but unwelcome - asking him to satiate its hunger. Spider-Man tells the homeless man to run, but is blindsided by Venom, noting that something is different about his long-time enemy: instead of feeling Eddie Brock's greed and anger, he can only sense the symbiote's insatiable hunger and bloodlust, as well as loneliness and fear. Snaring Spider-Man with tendrils, Venom asks if he's trembling in fear or anticipation; correcting Spider-Man when he says Venom wants his blood by saying that he wants Spider-Man's mind, body, and soul. Managing to break free, Spider-Man jokes that he already has a girlfriend and that the symbiote made his butt look big. As a train approaches, Venom berates Spider-Man for turning the symbiote into a monster through his rejection. Slamming Spider-Man into a pillar, Venom snarls that he suffers because of Spider-Man, corrupted into a bloodthirsty monster through Peter Parker's sin. Winded, Spider-Man states that he never sinned against Eddie Brock, only for Venom to reveal that it is the hostless symbiote and knock him unconscious.